Preserved summer vegetables

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could take the summer and save it in a little jar? Well actually, you can! Buy seasonal vegetables from the shops while they're at their best, and make your own tasty preserves like people did in the past. Difficult? No, just follow the recipes and soon your fridge will be packed with home-made, long-lasting goodies to serve with meat, fish and much more.

Rinse the vegetables and chop into pieces. Peel the onion and garlic. Put all the vegetables in a bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Refrigerate for 24 hours. Rinse off the salt. Bring the water to the boil. Add the vegetables and boil for a couple of minutes. The pepper and courgette need only be dipped briefly in the water. Put the vegetables in warm, thoroughly cleaned jars. Mix the ingredients for the marinade in a pan and bring to the boil. Skim off any scum. Pour the hot marinade over the vegetables. Seal. Store in the refrigerator.
Keeps for several months in the refrigerator.

The recipe was made by

Dansukker

Pickled courgettes

Ingredients

Peel, halve and core the courgettes. Cut them into pieces 2-3 cm thick. Bring the vinegar, water, sugar and salt to the boil. Add the courgettes and boil for 2 minutes. Remove the courgettes with a slotted spoon and put them in warm, sterilised jars. Add the spices and lemon zest to the pickling liquid and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Allow to cool. Pour the hot liquid over the courgettes and seal the jars. Store in a cool place. The courgettes can be replaced with pumpkin.

The recipe was made by

Dansukker

Pickled lemons

Ingredients

Wash the lemons thoroughly and put them in warm, sterilised jars. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Pour the hot marinade into the jars and seal. Leave to mature for at least 4 weeks before serving.

You can also quarter or slice the lemons. In that case, they will be ready to eat after 1-2 weeks.

Wash the cucumbers thoroughly. Peel the onion. Halve and slice it. Rinse the chilli, cut it lengthwise and remove the seeds. Peel the garlic. Layer the cucumber with the onion, garlic and chilli in warm sterilised jars.

Combine the ingredients for the marinade in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Allow to cool, then pour over the cucumber. Add two pieces of horseradish to each jar. Seal. Leave for 4 weeks before serving. Store in the refrigerator.

Wash the tomatoes. Cut them in half and sprinkle with the salt. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours. Rinse the salt off the tomatoes and leave them to drain on a towel.Put the tomatoes in warm, thoroughly cleaned jars. Add a couple of thyme sprigs. Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a pan and bring to the boil. Skim off any scum. Strain the marinade over the tomatoes. Seal. Store in the refrigerator.

Put the onions in boiling water. Pour away the water. Rinse the onions in cold water and peel them. Peel and slice the garlic heads. Halve, deseed and finely shred the chilli. Put the syrup, vinegar, sugar and spices in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Skim off any scum. Layer the onion with the garlic, thyme and chilli in warm sterilised jars. Pour the warm marinade over the top. Seal. Store in the refrigerator. Leave for a week before serving.

Layer the cabbage with the salt in a bowl and leave overnight. Rinse the cabbage with cold water to remove all the salt. Rinse and deseed the chilli. Cut it into thin strips and mix with the cabbage. Put the cabbage mixture in a jar. Bring the vinegar, water, syrup, pepper, cloves and ginger to the boil. Let the liquid cool for 5 minutes, then pour into the jar. Seal. Store in the refrigerator. Good served with grilled pork or chicken.

Wash the cucumbers well. Cut into 1 cm thick slices. Peel and halve the garlic heads. Rinse the chilli and dill. Layer the cucumber in jars with the mustard seeds and dill or with the cucumber and chilli. Mix the ingredients for the marinade in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Pour the marinade over the cucumber. Ready to eat after 72 hours.

The recipe was made by

Dansukker

Marinated cucumber

4 servings

Ingredients

Peel the cucumber, cut it in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Cut the cucumber halves into slices 1 cm thick. Peel, halve and slice the onion. Put the cucumber, onion and parsley in a serving bowl. Mix together the lemon juice, vinegar and sugar and pour over the vegetables. Marinate for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve with grilled meat, ideally strongly spiced.

The recipe was made by

Dansukker

Preserved beetroot

Ingredients

Scrub the beetroots well in cold water. Cut off the shoot but leave the stalk intact. If necessary, trim off the outermost part of the root. Boil the beetroot in warm water until just tender. This should take 15-20 minutes, depending on their size. Strain the beetroots. Peel them by pressing the peel off between your hands. Cut into wedges and put in jars. Peel and chop the horseradish. Combine the ingredients for the marinade in a small pan and bring to the boil. Strain the liquid and discard the spices. Pour the warm liquid over the beetroots. Seal. Store in a cool place.